Abigail Hencheck (’19) Awarded Human Rights Fellowship

October 2, 2017

Second-year Law School student Abigail Hencheck (’19) has been selected to receive a 2017-18 Benjamin B. Ferencz Fellowship in Human Rights and Law. The fellowship, which is awarded by World Without Genocide, an organization based at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, is named in honor of international human rights advocate Benjamin B. Ferencz. Ferencz, 97, prosecuted members of the Nazi Einsatzgruppen—mobile killing squads responsible for the deaths of more than a million Jews during the Holocaust—at trials in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1947, receiving convictions for every one of the accused. He has dedicated his life to advocating for justice and peace around the world.

As a Ferencz Fellow, Hencheck will work on legislation to address gender discrimination and violence at local, state, national, and international levels. “I am so thankful to World Without Genocide and Benjamin Ferencz for this incredible opportunity,” said Hencheck. “Being able to see firsthand the work that goes into advocating for women’s rights is an invaluable experience. For me, fighting for positive change in my community is what law school is all about. I can’t imagine a more fitting way to live out my passion.”